It’s no wonder why Barbara Pym’s bittersweet and quietly profound novel about four prickly office workers approaching retirement has not been adapted for the stage before. Its charm is tightly wedded to the rich interiority of its characters – Edwin, Letty, Marcia and Norman – who have unwittingly become each other’s closest confidants, despite insisting they are not quite friends, and that’s tricky to stage.
Pym’s book was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 1977, and it’s fitting that this first stage version comes from Samantha Harvey, whose own novel Orbital won that accolade in 2024. Though a little of its depth is inevitably lost, she proves a safe pair of hands.
